The Legend of the Wuju Bladesman
by Northern Crosswind
Summary: The recent news of the invasion of Ionia by Noxus sends Master Yi to the frontlines at the southern coastal cities of Ionia. As a practitioner, warrior, and guardian of the Wuju style, Yi fights alongside his fellow Ionians in the defense of Ionia in order to force Noxus off of their homeland. Little does he know, a certain Noxian chemist has a little surprise in store for him...


The Legend of the Wuju Bladesman

Chapter 1

**A/N: First fic on here, hopefully it'll turn out good, yes? :)**

"High General, the armies have been assembled."

The supreme commander of the Noxus High Command smirked from underneath his hood. To the young lieutenant, it was the only thing you could see besides the dark shadow covering his face and the effect unnerved him slightly. (1)

"Excellent..." His hoarse whisper slithered out and the smirk turned into a knowing grin. Red eyes shined out from the darkness and peered at the junior officer in curiosity. "Where is Colonel Swain and Captain Darius?"

"Sir, they're with the chemist, Singed, discussing the use of his recently invented weapon. Shall I bring them to you?" The lieutenant stammered out. High General Boram shook his head, causing his black robes to sway a bit which partially revealed a gray, wrinkly face. "There is no need, they are already here." He said as the door to his office opened, revealing Swain, the Master Tactician; Darius, the proud warrior of Noxus and a Commander in the Noxian Army; and Singed, a chemist from Zaun (now in service of Noxus) who had developed a new weapon for the upcoming invasion upon the Ionian Isles.

"Good. Darius, Singed, commence the invasion and occupation of Ionia." Darius and Singed nodded and left, and Boram turned to the tactician. "Colonel Swain, you've led a distinguished career with the military and I shall recognize it, but not now. It appears that our presence in the League of Legends has diminished somewhat...we need another champion to aid our side in the battles in the League so that we may continue to uphold our faction versus the Demacians. That's why I'm sending you there to help, your mastery of battle tactics and strategies would surely help the Du Couteau sisters and the Champions representing Noxus greatly.

Your new assignment is to register yourself as another champion of Noxus and fight alongside our forces in battle, as a result you will be declared inactive in our army since you will dedicate all of your time there."

Swain simply nodded, Boram could see the gears in his head churn as he processed the information.

"I see..." He said after a moment of silence passed, "Then I shall depart right away."

Southern Ionia

Five hours later, Noxus warships bombarded the coastal cities of Ionia and suppressed the local militias of those settlements as the invasion force established a beachhead and headquarters at Klingon City, a major port city. The news of the Noxian invasion spread like wildfire throughout the island of Ionia, in response to this, the Elder of the capital city, Ionia Capita, sent out messengers to the villages north, west, south, and east in order to organize an army to repel the invasion. Fueled by determination to stop the Noxians, village men skilled in all sorts of craft volunteered and banded together to form this army, the first since the end of the Second Rune War. Veterans from that war were placed in command positions, quickly promoting those who displayed skill and valor in the midst of battle. It would be two nights before the small village named Dao-Wu would be alerted to the war and to the call of arms.

Dao-Wu was one of the two villages in the northern part of Ionia Island that guarded the ancient and sacred art of the Wuju style, a style that granted its bearers inner strength and mental sharpness which were translated through their weapon. It was only recently that a new bladesman rose up to the status as master. Achieving master status was rare, as rare as a blue moon, and so the news of the newly arisen master was met with both awe and jealousy. Not only did the master have the job of representing the Wuju style, but he was also charged with guarding it and passing it on only when the right time came.

But as the invasion came, many sought out the master in order to inform him. And so they did, they found Wulong Jungjie Yi meditating under a waterfall near his village. The messenger rode up to him upon horseback and told him of the atrocities the Noxians were committing and of the destruction they left in their wake as they advanced towards the capital city. Master Yi didn't display any emotion, yet something flickered in his eyes and he simply nodded, immediately departing to Dao-Wu in order to prepare his trip down to Ionia Capita to join the ranks of the army.

–

It was in the middle of the night and soft words mixed with muffled sobs could be heard from a small hut in the village of Dao-Wu. Wulong Jungjie Yi caressed his wife, Kae-Li, on her wet cheek.

"I will return to you, my wife, do not fear..." He simply whispered. Kae nodded, Yi had already explained the reason why he was leaving –– to fight off the invading Noxian Army and to liberate the coastal cities which they had already occupied; and it seemed that they were advancing inland, pillaging villages and destroying the lives of the innocent Ionians.

_'We have done no wrong...we have done nothing to deserve this...'_ Yi thought as he embraced his wife and briefly closed his eyes from under his seven lensed goggles. _'The cries and screams of the innocent plagues the land and brings pain to all Ionians. I cannot sit idly while this happens,' _He opened his eyes and pat Kae-Li on her back before disengaging from the hug.

"Please, promise me you'll return safely, my dear. I-I...if anything happened to you I don't think I could bear it." Kae-Li said, her voice shaky. Yi smiled and drew his sword.

"I promise I will return, on my honor and way of the Wuju, I will." With that, he departed the village and entered the forest., heading southbound to Ionia Capita. Unbeknownst to his wife, he intended to sacrifice his life if necessary, all for the sake of the isles and for the lives of the innocents, especially his wife whom he loved dearly.

–

Ionia's forests were usually calm and serene, but it seemed that the invasion had angered the native wildlife, just as it did anger the natives of the Ionian Isles. The forest spanned from the northern villages all the way to the outskirts of Ionia Capita. From there to the coast, it was a massive plain, pockmarked by a few odd mountains. The island was divided by three main freshwater rivers which streamed from the tundra to the extreme north of Dao-Wu, all the way to the ocean. Only the River Xiang ended in a lake west of Placidium – it was a popular spot for festivals and sporting/fishing events.

Bugs buzzed, birds chirped, and animals of various species howled or roared all around him as he pressed through the forest. On other days, he would be taking peaceful strides as a part of his routine and becoming one with the forest but now he had to proceed with caution, not for the forest's inhabitants, but for any Noxian scout units. He doubted that they would manage to reach the north, the capital city would stop them in their tracks for Yi knew that the Ionian Guard were stationed there, a handpicked group of mages, warriors, and assassins trained for covert warfare and special operations just recently established to help in the defense of Ionia.

However, it never hurt to be safe rather than sorry, and Yi didn't have the intention of being at the receiving end of a Noxian knife.

A few hours went by and Yi happened upon the banks of the rapid flowing Tor River. It was dawn by then and Yi decided to rest and take a short break before he set off again. Yi sat down against a nearby tree in a relaxed position and took off his goggles, revealing golden-brown eyes that were sharp and quick. After that, he unbuckled his weapons, gear, and his lightweight black/yellow leather armor, but left his undershirt and shorts on which exposed his pale white skin and short black hair to the light of the dawn, giving it a slightly orange glow (2). He set them to on a rock beside him and settled down into the crook of the tree, closing his eyes and breathing in the chilly early morning air. Fall was beginning to end and winter would soon make its presence known on Runeterra. Ionia's winters weren't as rash as the far northern Freljord territories, but it was bad enough to kill anyone who didn't prepare for it.

Noxus...Why were they doing this? Ionia was small in size and there was really nothing valuable here except for the arts and culture displayed here.(3) Was it because they declined the invitation to the League? Did the Noxians think they were vulnerable because of the possible lack of political consequence their aggressive actions would cause versus Ionia? Yi contemplated this as he continued to relax and recover the energy he had spent traveling.

Suddenly, the hairs on the back of his neck stood up as he sensed another presence to his left. He sharply turned his gaze and beheld a female white nine-tailed fox sitting on her haunches. Yi could distinguish between to the two genders by the curvature of the head and by the eyes. Males were more sharp-looking and aggressive if they sensed any sort of threat, while females tended to be more curious, but they were as deadly as males when it came down to engagements. This particular fox had a certain light in her eyes, a combination of longing and curiosity.

He outstretched a hand in invitation, the fox backed away a bit and lowered her front as if ready to pounce upon a victim or suddenly dash away. He chuckled a bit and spoke soothingly, "I don't mean any harm, dear fox. I'm just a traveler making his way to the Southern part of Ionia." The fox perked her ears up at his words which flowed like the water of Ionia's rivers. Seeing no malicious intent, the fox slowly and cautiously walked over to him, tails shifting back and forth. Yi petted the fox's head as it came near. The fox leaned into his warm hand, and if foxes could smile, then it certainly did. The nine tails wagged up and down as it enjoyed the sensation of warmth traveling through the body.

"I wonder what a fox like you is doing so far from the southern forests?" He asked, a little curious, and stood up. "Surely the Noxians wouldn't tamper with the natural wildlife here, as noxious as they are (4), they wouldn't dare mess with nature lest they wish to be consumed by it. Nine tails are also a rare sight, one doesn't encounter them by simply walking in the forests." After a bit of pondering, he shook his head. Maybe she was a sign of good fortune?

It was time to move on, the sun had already risen and it would be noon in a few hours. He'd make it to the capital city by then if he traveled at full speed, which he planned to do. Yi wasted no time suiting up, the fox watched him as he did this. When he finished, he looked over to her and nodded. "I must go now. Since I'm headed south, perhaps you could keep me company until we reach the battlefield. However, you're going to have to move quickly if you wish to keep up." He smiled as he challenged the fox. Yi took a drink from the cold freshwater river and took another deep breath of the morning air.

"Okay, let us go." Yi disappeared in the blink of an eye, running at speeds a normal human wouldn't be able to even break. But Yi was no ordinary man, thanks to his long time training with the Wuju style and (seemingly) superhuman speed.

**Footnotes/Comments:**

**(1): Emperor Palpatine came to mind while writing that paragraph.**

**(2): Does anyone know what he really looks like without the armor and the goggles?**

**(3): I got the impression that Ionia's heritage and culture would be similar to China and Japan's.**

**(4): Noxious Noxians – Wordplay**

**A/N: Read and Review! Comments? Questions? Requests? Pairing suggestions? Review or shoot a PM.**

**Now I realize everything may not be "canon" according to the Lore and histories of the champions, but hey it's a fanfic, just consider it a little AU.** **That doesn't mean I'll blatantly disregard them, I'll follow them for sure but I wish to throw in a few gimmicks for the sake of this fic.**

**Until next time!**


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